


denial is a river

by yxrtyu



Series: denial is a river [1]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angry Kissing, Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Enemies to Lovers, Frottage, House Party, LITERALLY, M/M, Making Out, No Spoilers, Sexual Tension, Spin the Bottle, Teenagers, Trapped In A Closet, Underage Drinking, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22148374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yxrtyu/pseuds/yxrtyu
Summary: “You can’t go against the bottle, Ricky. The bottle is the law, the Constitution, the Quran, the Torah, the Bible. It has chosen, and therefore you two must go and honor it, and let my very gay self enjoy two hot boys making out in my closet that I came out of years ago.”Ricky and EJ are forced into a very small closet.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Series: denial is a river [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596217
Comments: 39
Kudos: 310





	denial is a river

**Author's Note:**

> I only got up to episode 4.
> 
> But I really needed to get this out, and I wrote this within 24 hours. So I'm publishing it, but un-beta'd.
> 
> I wonder if this fandom is really young because I came across tumblrs/twitters that are fans of both Andi Mack and HSMTMTS, so if you're underage, please read at your own risk. Or just don't.

“You can’t go against the bottle, Ricky. The bottle is the law, the Constitution, the Quran, the Torah, the Bible. It has chosen, and therefore you two must go and honor it, and let my very gay self enjoy two hot boys making out in my closet that I came out of years ago.”

Ricky grits his teeth as he stares Carlos down who gives him the flattest look ever. He looks to Nini for help, who throws her hands up and leans away from him. He turns to Big Red next to him, who only shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders in apology.

Then he looks at EJ, who sneers at him.

“I’m not any bit as happy about this than you are, Bowen.”

Ricky huffs and runs his hand through his hair. Clearly no one was going to budge on this despite him and EJ hating each other’s guts (well, to be fair, they’ve gotten civil after they both were able to perform the show together and stopped fighting over Nini after she made it explicitly clear that she wanted to be single after the shit they pulled on her… understandable, really).

“Alright, okay, fine,” he says reluctantly as he moves to stand up. “Fuck it. C’mon, Caswell.”

EJ lets out a groan while Carlos and Seb squeal and clap excitedly, being that the two of them have been blatantly shipping the school’s best looking athlete and chill laidback skater since the start of the musical.

“Hope you don’t suck,” the curly haired boy taunts. 

“Oh ho, I love it when they goad each other,” Seb says to Carlos, who nods in agreement. “Love me a good enemies to lovers story.”

“Shut up, Seb. No one needs your commentary,” EJ snaps, who was also not looking forward to being stuck in a small closet with his ex-girlfriend’s ex. The blonde only bats his eyelashes flirtatiously at him in response, resulting in the athlete to roll his eyes. “And fuck you, Ricky. Pretty sure Nini liked my kisses better than yours.”

“Don’t you dare drag me into this. And for the love of God, please just go in there so I don’t have to hear or see you two be annoying,” the mentioned girl says, her face expressing her exasperation. 

Ricky scowls as he opens the door, but when he sees inside the closet, he freezes in his tracks.

“Why is your closet so small, Carlos?”

“Sorry not everyone’s closet is well endowed. Just get in there you two.”

EJ peers around Ricky’s shoulder, only to feel just as frustrated over the small confined space that was barely enough to fit the two of them comfortably. “There’s no way we both could fit in there! Are you trying to suffocate us?!”

“Yes, I’m trying to have you two suffocate by sticking your tongues down each other’s throats,” Carlos sasses as he stands up to move towards them. “Now move your cute little tushies and get to it!” 

With that, he shoves both of them in there, causing Ricky to face plant on the back wall with EJ stumbling after him on top of his back, his hands slamming against the wall to catch himself and encasing Ricky in his arms. The door closes shut, and darkness surrounds them. Then they hear something thud against the door. 

“And don’t bother trying to get out!” Carlos yells, his voice muffled. “I put my big ass laundry basket of clothes - clean clothes - that have been sitting in there for over a week. And that’s three weeks of clothes in there.”

“DUDE, fold your clothes!” Big Red shouts. 

“Shut up, hand-me-down genderbent Annie. Now let’s all go downstairs and leave these two alone because they obviously have stage fright.”

Ricky lets out a squeak, not happy with the thought of being alone with EJ in Carlos’s closet while everyone was on a completely different floor, drinking all the alcohol that he didn’t get a chance to completely enjoy. What if EJ murders him? No one will hear him screaming. He tries to turn around, but EJ’s body is squished tightly between the door and his own. His elbow accidentally jabs into EJ’s stomach. 

“Watch it, you idiot,” EJ wheezes, his breath next to Ricky’s ear. 

“Are you guys seriously leaving?!” Ricky yells out in panic, hoping they all didn’t leave yet. 

His hope is squashed as the only reply he receives is nothing but silence.

Ricky sighs. “Fucking fantastic.”

He squirms in EJ’s arms again to try and get comfortable, but once again, he hurts the taller boy by knocking his head into his nose.

“Seriously?! Christ, Bowen,” the injured party hisses as one of his hands tries to go to his nose, but because it’s dark, he ends up poking Ricky in the eye. 

“Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Says the guy who elbowed me and gave me a bloody nose!” He pauses. “Oh good. I’m not bleeding.”

“Happy for you,” Ricky grumbles as he rubs his eye. “Can I at least turn around? This is very uncomfortable, and I feel like my arm will fall off.”

“The whole situation is uncomfortable. So no.”

Ricky rolls his eyes and does it anyway because fuck this guy. He shifts and steps on EJ’s toes on purpose and is able to fully face him, but he loses his balance and starts to tip over before a strong arm wraps around his waist and steadies him. He jumps at the sensation because it’s a very, very firm grip, and is this how girls feel when guys hold them? He feels his face turning red and is very grateful that it is dark. 

“Don’t be a dumbass and fall over or else we’ll both be on the ground,” EJ reprimands, his breath now fanning over Ricky’s face, not doing anything to assuage the situation that was Ricky’s heated cheeks. 

Their noses knock against each other’s, causing both of them to promptly lean their heads away. Ricky notes that EJ still hasn’t let go of him, and he turns his head to the side so that he wouldn’t have to look at the taller boy.

“Uh, you don’t have to… like, hold me anymore,” he mutters nervously.

EJ removes his arm and clears his throat, the sound very loud to Ricky, reconfirming the close proximity of his nemesis. Ex-nemesis now, he supposes.

“So…” he starts, but trails off because what is he supposed to do in this situation? “Maybe we should-”

“Shut up, Ricky. I’m not doing anything with you.”

“Well, I don't want to be here with you either, but we’re stuck in here. We can’t just sit here in the dark.”

“Yes, we can, and we will. Now please stop talking. Your voice is getting on my nerves.”

Ricky bristles at the insult and pushes at EJ, who doesn’t really go anywhere since he’s already against the door. “Fuck you, man. I’m just trying to make the best of the situation, and you’re being an asshole like always.”

“That’s what I am. Get over it,” EJ says as he plants his hand on Ricky’s chest and shoves him further against the wall, knocking the breath out of him. Ricky gets dizzied by the sensation and is colored impressed by EJ’s strength, which makes sense because the guy’s an athlete and probably lifts weights. How annoying.

“It’s literally just kissing, dude. Can you not handle a little bit of kissing?” he finally asks after getting his breath back. 

Wait. Why does he care if they kiss or not? He never wanted to be in this closet in the first place. Hell, he had never wanted to play spin the bottle because a) they were in high school, not middle school; b) the only girls playing were Nini, Natalie, and Gina, and he didn’t want to kiss any of them; c) five out of eight players were guys, and he’s pretty sure he likes kissing girls only despite the fact that the only people he had ever kissed in his life was Nini, his sixth grade girlfriend who dumped him after a month, and two girls whom he met at other parties. Pretty sure. In fact, he is absolutely dreading being in this closet and having to kiss EJ. Obviously. 

And d) he was not drunk enough for this bs.

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean, Bowen?”

Ricky’s mouth drops open, but nothing comes out. He stutters for a moment before collecting himself and saying, “I meant what I said, Caswell. Or does kissing a guy repulse you?”

“You repulse me. I’d never kiss you,” he says without a beat, which, ouch, Ricky takes total offense to, and it really irks him so because he believes himself to be a pretty kissable guy. I mean, Nini liked kissing him back then. Right? 

“I bet I can kiss better than you.” Ricky reels back from his own statement. He scrunches his face in confusion wondering why in the hell he is edging EJ on when he also does not want to make out with him. He’s pretty sure of that, just like how he’s pretty sure he likes kissing only girls.

EJ laughs coldly. “What, you wanna make out with me to see who’s the better kisser?”

“No, I already know I’m better than you at kissing, and I’ll prove it.”

Ricky internally groans at his brain’s lack of ability to keep up with his stupid mouth and the stupid words that just keep falling out of it and embarrassing him.

EJ says nothing in return, his sudden silence unnerving the shorter boy. This is it, he thinks. The moment when EJ tears his limbs apart with his strong water polo hands and buries them in Carlos’s mom’s petunias. That’s what he’ll become. Petunia fertilizer. All because Ricky seems to run his mouth without any care in the world. 

Suddenly, EJ’s nose nudges against his, and Ricky feels his heart skip a beat.

“You’re on, skater boy.”

With that, he feels EJ’s lips on his, and Ricky’s mind short circuits. First thing he notices is that his lips are soft, just as soft as Nini’s. And then he wonders if his own lips were chapped, and he can't help but feel embarrassed that his own were probably not as nice and smooth as EJ’s. This thought annoys him more so because of course the older boy is better than him in that aspect, just like how the guy has to be better at him in everything else: strength, height, looks, and breaking girls’ hearts (Ricky deems EJ the worse boyfriend out of the two of them… even though he knows that EJ was just a rebound and therefore did not mean as much to Nini).

He stands there frozen, unsure of what to do because oh my god, he’s kissing a boy? Let alone kissing EJ Caswell, the ex of his ex, his high school’s heart throb that everyone wants to bone. But just as soon they were there, EJ’s lips are gone. He can see the other boy’s eyes shining in the dark right at him, competition swirling fiercely in them. 

“Are you gonna kiss back or what, Ricky?”

He sputters, irritated by his tone. He can feel the heat go up to his ears, whether from embarrassment or anger, he doesn’t know, but it’s enough to spur him to grab the back of EJ’s neck. 

“Fuck you, EJ.”

Ricky slams his own lips against EJ’s, hoping to hurt him rather than kiss him. The taller boy growls before pushing against his own, both of them breathing through their noses and not giving up by pulling away. Then EJ licks Ricky’s bottom lip, causing him to gasp and open his mouth before a tongue sneaks in and caresses his own. 

It’s… different than kissing girls, Ricky realizes. Not that much different, but still different. It’s just kissing, and it doesn’t have to mean anything… but his heart can’t help but thrash wildly against his rib cage with the butterflies in his stomach flapping in chaos. EJ is actually not bad, he begrudgingly concludes. Actually, he’s really good. Really fucking good. But he’s not gonna tell him that. Ever. 

But then his traitorous mouth betrays him as he moans softly when EJ bites his bottom lip, pulling at it before kissing him again.

Wait a minute. Bottom lip? Ricky swears to win at this and be the one in control, so he shoves EJ against the closet door and takes charge, sucking on EJ’s own bottom lip. He smirks at the reversal, proud of himself for gaining the lead and not letting the star athlete show him up. He even revels in the little gasp EJ lets out and in the way his hands travel up his back.

However, his dominance is short lived, as EJ pulls on his hair to pull his face away, the pain along with the dizziness from the lack of air feeling so good to Ricky that his mind becomes muddled and he just… wants more. He feels EJ’s body press up against his, feeling every hard muscle built from swimming against his own, and the strong arm from before snakes around his waist once again, bringing them even closer.

The younger boy shudders as EJ’s breath blows in his ear before he says in his low, husky voice, “You’ve got another thing coming if you think you’re going to win at this, dumbass.”

Ricky wants to turn his head towards the other to sling an insult at his face, but EJ’s grip is locked on his curly hair. He loses all willpower once the taller boy starts pressing open mouthed kisses starting from his ear and traveling down his neck, and, god, is that a thigh between his legs? Then he feels a tongue swirl at the junction of his neck and shoulder, followed by a bite, and he can’t help but let out the loudest moan he has probably let out in his entire life. 

With Nini, everything was so… new. She was the first girl he ever truly kissed and feel something from it, first one to make out with and feel desire and love (he admits it). It was shyness and softness with her, and there was a lot of hesitation in going any further. Sure, sometimes it got a little heated, but he was always too nervous about whether or not he went too far. He followed her lead, and he respected any pushback she gave him because she felt uncomfortable. The most he went with her is making out with their shirts off.

At parties, if he was sauced enough, he’d end up hooking up with a girl outside the host’s house in a spot where no one could see, and those make outs were spicier than the ones he ever had with Nini. He even went so far as to squeeze a boob and a buttcheek or two, both of which were off limits when he was in a relationship. 

This thing with EJ, however, definitely single handedly takes the cake as the spiciest make out session in his 17 years of life. It’s a tug of war with so much teeth and hands roaming everywhere. It’s rough, heavy, and something fierce. He is practically riding EJ’s rock hard thigh, and the friction he feels against it sends heat to pool at the bottom of his stomach while he lets out the lewdest noises ever with every kiss the older boy was giving him.

He is losing. Badly. But he can’t find it in himself to care through all the haze and heat.

Okay, that is sort of a lie. He needs to best EJ. Needs to annihilate him, actually, in so many ways. This guy sucks, even though he may be the best kisser he ever encountered in his life, and he is not going down without a fight. 

Ricky grabs EJ’s wrists to slam them against the door above their heads, reversing their positions with EJ on Ricky’s thigh. His lips are on his, and he hopes to bruise him and make him bleed with his teeth. Putting both of EJ’s wrists in one hand, he places his freed one up his shirt and rests it on his abs. 

Stupid rock hard abs. He didn’t even know that they could feel so defined, all ridges and nothing soft except his skin. His hand goes around to his back and travels up and up, his fingers trailing up his spine. Ricky swallows more of EJ’s gasps and whimpers and continues to explore his back, and of course that plane is also well defined and hard. 

Seriously. Fuck this guy. 

Ricky pulls away from him and wraps his arm around EJ’s very fit waist and whispers into his mouth, “Gonna fucking destroy you, Caswell.” He punctuates his declaration by moving EJ’s body down with his arm, and EJ finally lets out a moan, the sound so sweet to Ricky’s ears and going straight to his-

Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa.

At that second, the door opens and they both fall onto the floor in a tangled mess of limbs. The light shines brightly in Ricky’s eyes, so to escape it, he buries his face in EJ’s neck, breathing in the scent of his body wash, which was mountain pine. God, he even smells good, so good that it entices Ricky to plant a small kiss there. 

“Well, isn’t this adorable?”

Ricky snaps his head up to see Carlos and Seb wearing identical shit-eating grins while everyone else behind them looking at what is the Caswen pile with their mouths hung open in disbelief and awkwardness, like they’re interrupting something private. Even Nini’s face is completely red, almost matching Big Red’s hair. 

He looks down to see EJ’s face and takes in the heat in his half lidded eyes, his swollen parted lips, and his hair not so perfectly coiffed like it always is, and the sight sends his heart on a marathon. But the heat is replaced with anger and his lips turn into a snarl.

“Get off of me.”

Ricky mutters an apology and tries to get off of him, but he realizes he can’t stand up just yet because his legs are jelly, so he opts to sit. EJ moves to turn around and sits up further away, and Ricky cannot help but notice the distance. 

“I gotta hand it to you, boys. I really did not expect a porn scene to happen in my closet,” Carlos says while slow clapping his hands, the evil twinkle in his eyes gleaming.

Seb leans forward with a hand cupping his mouth and whispers very loudly, “Your little buddies look very excited.”

With that Ricky blushes and covers his crotch with both of his hands. From the corner of his eye, he sees EJ bring his knees up and cross his ankles to hide his own problem. Satisfaction and relief fall over him to know that he left quite the impression on the older boy, and a small smug smile appears on his face.

“Does them actually falling out of the closet mean something?” Big Red asks out loud. 

Everyone in the room bursts out laughing except for the two boys on the ground.

“Oh my god,” Seb says as he places a hand on Carlos’s arm. “Fruitcake. We need to get fruitcake.”

“You are so right, but not at the same time because fruitcake is fucking disgusting.” Carlos turns around, puts on an air of leadership, and looks at everyone. “Everyone get out of the way. Emergency celebration fruit tart is needed!” 

The choreographer pushes everyone out of his room, resulting in protests and yelps of pain. Eventually, everyone was gone, leaving the two boys to themselves.

Ricky looks over to EJ, who’s looking at him with something in his eyes that he can’t describe. Then the senior smirks, and Ricky can’t help but be annoyed over how good he looks with his stupid smirk. 

He blushes at the disturbing thought and proceeds to scream on the inside that he probably, most definitely, absolutely has a thing for EJ. 

Kissing EJ. Not for EJ.

He buries his face in his hands as he internally shrieks and flails about. 

A hand gently pulls his wrist away from his face, and he sees another hand in his vision, palm facing up as if an offering. His eyes look to the owner of the hand. 

“You gonna stay down there and freak out or what?” EJ asks casually, unperturbed by the fact that they just had the craziest almost rated XXX make out session ever. 

Not knowing what else to do, Ricky takes his hand, and the older boy pulls him up, only to let out an embarrassingly high and prepubescent squeak when EJ’s face is dangerously close to his, especially now that he can actually see him in the light. He feels EJ cup his chin to tilt his face up, his breath hitching when he feels a thumb on his bottom lip to part his lips ever so slightly. Ricky finds himself leaning towards him, eyes flitting down to the other’s lips and back to his eyes.

“Not bad, Bowen.”

And just as soon he was in his face, EJ was gone and walking out the door. 

Seriously. Fuck that guy. And fuck his own stupid hormones for wanting EJ. 

Wanting to kiss EJ. He does not want him, what the fuck. No. No no no. 

Ricky walks over to the bed, grabs Carlos’s pillow, and screams into it.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter @nelsquared if you want to watch me scream about ships and other fandom things.


End file.
